2001 No. 4005
The Radioactive Substances (Clocks and Watches) (England and Wales) Regulations 2001
Made
Laid before Parliament
Coming into force
The Secretary of State, being a Minister designatedM1 for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972M2 in relation to safety measures in regard to radioactive substances and the emission of ionising radiation, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 2(2) of that Act, hereby makes the following Regulations:
1972 c. 68; section 2(2) was amended by the Scotland Act 1998 (c. 46), Schedule 8 paragraph 15(3). The function conferred upon the Minister of the Crown under section 2(2) of the 1972 Act, so far as within devolved competence, was transferred to the Scottish Ministers by virtue of section 53 of the 1998 Act.
Citation, commencement and extent1
1
These Regulations may be cited as the Radioactive Substances (Clocks and Watches) (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 and shall come into force on 14th January 2002.
2
These Regulations extend only to England and Wales.
Amendment of the Radioactive Substances Act 19932
1
Section 15 (further exemptions from sections 13 and 14) of the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 M3 shall be amended as follows.
2
In subsection (1), after “clocks or watches” (where those words first occur) insert “
on or from any premises in the circumstances described in subsection (1A)
”
.
3
After subsection (1) insert–
1A
The circumstances referred to in subsection (1) are that—
a
no radionuclide other than tritium, promethium 147 or radium 226 is present in any clock or watch on the premises (whether or not any radioactive waste arises from it),
b
no such clock or watch contains more than one of those radionuclides, and
c
either subsection (1B) or subsection (1C) is satisfied.
1B
This subsection is satisfied if the total quantity of tritium divided by 109, plus the total quantity of promethium 147 divided by 107, plus the total quantity of radium 226 divided by 104, in all such clocks and watches does not exceed 1 (quantity in each case being measured in becquerels).
1C
This subsection is satisfied if—
a
all such clocks and watches fall within a description specified in the first column of the Table below;
b
radioactive waste arises from no more than five of them; and
c
none of them gives rise to a quantity of radioactive waste exceeding the figure in the third column of the Table corresponding to the relevant radionuclide listed in the second column.
Table
Description of clock or watch
Radionuclide
Relevant quantity (in becquerels)
(i)Clocks or watches having their dials marked at the time of manufacture with “T 25” (Tritium), “Pm 0.5” (Promethium 147) or “Ra 1.5” (Radium 226)
Tritium
Promethium 147
Radium 226
9.3 x 108
1.9 x 107
5.6 x 104
(ii)Clocks bearing radioluminescent deposits and not falling within category (i)
Tritium
Promethium 147
Radium 226
3.7 x 108
7.4 x 106
7.4 x 103
(iii)Watches bearing radioluminescent deposits and not falling within category (i)
Tritium
Promethium 147
Radium 226
2.8 x 108
5.5 x 106
5.6 x 103
(iv)Watches containing small sealed glass tubes internally coated with a phosphor and filled with tritium gas
Tritium
7.4 x 109
S.I. 1977/1718.